Hvar – National celebrations in Croatia begin with the release of Ante Gotovina from The Hague, after a successful appeal to his 24-year sentence.

Church bells across Croatia chimed loudly and enthusiastically shortly before 10am on November 16, 2012, as news from Holland confirmed the release of Mladen Markac and Ante Gotovina from a court in The Hague, reports Dalmatian national daily, Slobodna Dalmacija.